It’s an obvious inspiration. Grant Morrison confirms his script for The Flash that he co-wrote with star Ezra Miller was less a superhero tale and instead channeled Robert Zemeckis’s 1985 cult classic Back to the Future.
Morrison opened up to Collider about his and Miller’s crack at the story, saying, “It was more like Back to the Future, I would say, than a superhero movie.”
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Mentioning they wrote it last year, Morrison spoke frankly about how much he liked the story they came up with, “Well, I thought we had a really good version of The Flash and we wrote it as fast as The Flash, because it was so demanding, and it was pretty good. And I think after a few drafts, it would have been great.”
As pleased as he was, he feels their script became a victim of the fickle studio system, “But the way some studios work, these things just come and go. I think about 15 people have already written versions of The Flash.”
Related — The Flash: Rumored Plot Details of Script by Ezra Miller and Grant Morrison Revealed
He added the version “going ahead” is not using his and Miller’s screenplay. This is something that most people had already concluded. Morrison added further he doesn’t know what Warner Bros. “is doing with it (His and Miller’s script).”
Looking back, he reflected on writing the script, “I had fun.” He’d continue, “Ezra came over to the house and we just had a real blast and created the story. And maybe one day the script will leak out into the world.”
If a Reddit forum post is to be believed, Morrison and Miller’s script already has leaked out. A quasi-origin story, it’s described as a starting-out adventure with flashbacks to costume making filling in the blanks.
Flash rogues Mirror Master, Captain Cold, and Golden Glider would’ve teamed up as the primary threat. Omens of Reverse-Flash were there but he sits on the sidelines; never mentioned by name.
Barry would be warned about time travel and the dangers of the Speed Force from Jay “Peter” Garrick. The only time jump happens when Barry goes back to save Iris after she is gunned down in a crossfire.
The plot twist is a little like Back to the Future, 1 & 2. This is where Marty and Doc jump back and forth between past, present, and future to fix things Biff does to the timeline – thanks to Marty and Grays Sports Almanac.
The Reddit leaks are unverified so they aren’t proven to be concrete. Morrison didn’t go into specifics but peeled back the curtain on the tone he aimed for.
He revealed his take wasn’t as dark as Miller wanted but bore “elements of darkness.” Morrison continued, “No, it wasn’t [darker] really,” he said. “I mean, elements of darkness were there, and the material that they wanted us to use [was] the Flashpoint stuff.”
Related: The Flash Fans Accuse Actress Danielle Panabaker Of Racism, Call For Her Firing
Morrison added they wanted people who didn’t read the comics to grasp the story, “So, Ezra and I were actually trying to do something that was a bit more —like I say, it’s kind of like just a great science-fiction story,” he continued, “And if you don’t know [the comics], it would have made sense.”
We don’t know how much sense it will make, or how much it keeps from the comics, but Andy Muschietti’s Flash written by Christina Hodson departs heavily from the crossover saga by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert.
The film won’t have the Amazon-Atlantean War subplot. As rumored, it should set the stage for the return of Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, Joe Morton’s Silas Stone, and Michael Keaton’s Batman above all.
Dragged into the Multiverse, the Bruce Wayne played by Keaton might stick around the DC Extended Universe to train young heroes.
That sure doesn’t sound like the Flashpoint comic readers know, any more than Miller & Morrison’s script.
The Flash is slated for a June 3rd, 2022 release.